3/2/14 RACING ASEAN TO UNITY....start with the people sport!

What is it or are there that is or are common to ASEAN, the South East Asia states: Mynmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Chambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Brunei, Philippines, and Timor Leste? Sure we are tropical and or sub-tropical. The region of Natural Diversity. In trade, once Ringgit was widely used in Indonesia (Sumatra), Brunei, Malaysia, and even part of Siam (Pattani), Cambodia (Cham) and Philippines (Sulu). In the past, we are the intermediary of West and Far East. Indeed, this is still our common ground. We control the shortest distance of the Pacific Path for West and Far East transhipment. Nonetheless, the control is weakening due to our inability to develop our common talent(s). The very talent that had eroded from our system is the maritime nature of our old days glory.

(2) Indeed ASEAN is a maritime states except (unfortunate) for Laos. Nonetheless, Allah still blessed Laos with the mighty Mekong River from high up in China. Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam are the most maritime among all. There is no countries in the world that could out number the Philippines and Indonesia in term of islands that made the nations. This water-rich states indeed had given birth to one very great commonality that ASEAN had not lifted to the best. I believe, far before the Roman and Viking, the ASEANs had roamed the sea much earlier than any. There are evident that the Malays had reached the South Pacific much ahead of the West. The Malays of Sulu guided Ferdinand Magellan to the rich Spices Islands of Maluccas, which the later Malays guided him back to Spain through the West bound through the Cape of the Good Hope, avoiding his rival Vasco Da Gama, whom served the Portuguese. Earlier, the castrated Muslim Yunan by the name of Cheng Ho or Zheng He, sailed to Palembang, then to the Middle East and Africa, with the guidance of the Malays. The Islamization of the Palembang Chinese was indeed by the instruction of the Admiral. The presence of the Malays in South Africa, Madagascar, and certain central Africa states justified for this thesis. Indeed, I would say, Cheng Ho, accomplished Kublai Khan, the Monggol dream to conquer the Malays Archipelago. Yunan was part of the great Monggolia.

(3) In short, the ASEANs, particularly the Malays' maritime talents, be they the Sulus, the Moluccas, the Cham, the Pattani and Rhiaus, they had once played the key role to connect the West to East and or vise verca. As I had said, the hydrophilic blood of the Malays and or ASEAN had dried up, that made them reduced to being fooled states. Would there be an ASEAN Renaissance or Incarnation?

(4) What indeed unite the European into the European Union Economy (EU) and or even NATO? Except for Great Britain, Europe is one piece of land. Nonetheless the English Tunnel then connected the whole of Europe into One Piece of Land Mass. ASEAN is connected by the sea. Most see it as cause to separation. In the early day, the sea is called Champa Sea. But surely due to the hatred of the Viet, Cambodian, and Laos to this past Nation, the Champa at Annam (Mid South Vietnam), such name was abandoned. The Old Chinese than claimed the Sea as Nanfang Hai, the Southern Sea. It was the West for their convenience, called this Sea as South China Sea. Indeed such naming was either an accidental or planned strategy to turn the sea into a source of regional conflict for the West to be forever a master fisherman in the milky sea.

(5) Nonetheless, for ASEAN to be a solid team, a great United Nations, within the future immediate neighboring Great First and Second Global Nations of China and India, we need to reestablished our commonality. We can start with our favorite water sport, the regatta. In every state, we have our unique regatta. There are traditional and modern regatta that the States are now celebrating. While the modern regatta is much of Western oriented, which to my perception, would places the ASEAN into the consumer habit, the traditional regatta would be much better for the ASEAN growth paradigm. Traditional regatta is much celebrated in the Southern Philippines, Maluccas, Borneo, Rhiau, Andaman, Southern Thailand, and Mekong of Cambodia and Vietnam. Probably the most colorful regatta is the Praws Festival in Visaya, Philippines. Hybrid of Dragon Boat Festival and local tradition are well celebrated in Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Singapore, and Vietnam.

(6) Earlier, I had stated that the modern regatta which is more of Yacht Race is the Western-style Regatta. This is a water sport for the few rich. Not for the masses Rakyat. Yacht Race I considered as a consumption or import-based economy for the fact that, especially in the Malaysian context, as well as in all ASEAN states, almost anything related to the Yacht are imported items and technologies, name it: the boat, the accessories, the regulation, branding, etc. The Yacht industry had not developed well in this part of the world. Accordingly, the West had set the standard for such sport to maintain its prestige as well as to ensure production and market niche which indeed is a monopolistic economic strategy. Accordingly, from the morale point of view, the psychological part of it, not many ASEAN natives boys would dare to try to sail a yacht. Their small body built will place them in a very inferiority stage. Thus modern Yacht is not to the ASEAN people masses suit for the time being. We need to harness the water sport that our ancestors had developed and dare to conquer these part of the world.

(7) In Malaysia, we called it Lumba Perahu. In the Southern Philippines they called it Praws Fiesta. In Myanmar it is called Month Tawathalin. Indeed in each ASEAN states, it has its own name and uniqueness. In Malaysia, the most celebrated regatta is the Kuching Regatta. Originally it was a bangkong races among the natives now becoming a permanent feature of the Sarawak River attraction. Today Kuching Regatta had attracted international players especially from among the neighboring alike tradition nations ie Brunei, and Provinces of Kalimantan, Indonesia. From Kuching, the regatta in now a reviving people sport all through Sarawak. A place as isolated as Debak, a small deep sleepy snoring town on the Krian River do also began to organize Regatta.

(8) Regatta has its many significances. In the olden days, it was a fiesta of victories. The warriors upon their returned from a successful expedition, they races home in joyful celebration. The winning kingdom(s) then made such as an annual fiesta.  Regatta was indeed a demonstration of military power as do the present day war ships show play. Regatta then transformed into people fiesta and normally celebrated to mark end of harvesting or a start of an open sea fishing time. Boats came in various decorative style, shape, size and materials built. Indeed regatta boat making was the the show of the people craftmanship as well as their native maritime engineering genius. Trengganu and Kelantan are well known states for great boat crafting from timber. The craftmanship and innovativeness of Regatta do spill to the kids. In Samarahan, Sarawak, particularly at Muara Tuang, I could see the innovative young, inventing local made jet speed one man boat racing almost on monthly basis at the King Tide period. Regatta is also a great field to nurture the courageous spirit among the younger generations. In Awat-Awat, Lawas, in the far northern Sarawak, small boys bravely fool in the water in their own made jet boats. Such scene is not alien in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, etc. Even the Malanesian Islands in the South Pacific we could see, kids dare to roam the sea in their toy boats.  Kids, they love to imitate their elders. Their enthusiastic urge, made them creative and fearless, as long as they see those are acted by their elders. These indeed were survival values that their ancestors had implanted into the past generations that made them able to survive even in the hardest lives conditions. Today such value had to be nurtured at high cost and sophisticated system. In the past, the boat, the water, nature were the best survival values developers. Such was the reason, why the past generations were much hardy
and if sufficiently facitated they then able to manage themselves better. Indeed if ones follows closely the Gipsy, the Badouin, the Monggolians, etc they are fearless because they are used to the harsh desert lives. The same applies to the past Malays boys whom used to roam the seas. Allah is fair, He gives each nation or region their own strength to build on, if they dare to think and venture, but most are ignorance.

(9) Regatta is a team-based sport. Its not only the teamwork of the strong peddlers,  it builds the sense of togetherness among the communities. Regatta is a community-based sport. Indeed, if there is an ASEAN traditional boat race, the impact would be very interesting. The sea roamers of the Philippines could meet those Tuna fishing guys from the Maluccas. A Fishing Convention could then be simultaneously organised. Accordingly, the boat builders of Trengganu, could learn the art of boat building of the Thai and Vietnam. Thus, there would be a great avenue for boat building flow of ideas. Definitely, the headmen of Sarawak natives could exchange ideas with their brothers from Kalimantan. The timber specialists would have a great avenue to learn the best idea of what and where the best timber species best for what type of boat building. Surely then our South China Sea will soon be flooded by the ASEAN traditional boats and sailors, and as such the sea could be the full ownership of the ASEAN. The ASEAN coastal cities would flourish, thus inter-ASEAN Tourism, Trade, and Education would spur into the best. We then could move higher into the Global Hierarchy in what ever field.  As such, I would believe, the ASEAN should make their traditional regatta alive and work toward making it as the ASEAN Sea Game and Convention. I would believe, with such the masses of the ASEAN citizens could gain better socio-economic affect as compare to the modern Yacht Sport.

(10) In the tropical diversity of ASEAN, there is a factor of unity that we had been ignoring. Allah, loves His people, doesn't matter who they are, be they the submissive and or deviant. He the All Mighty Loving and Caring Allah, grants all what the people needs for them to be thankful. The South China Sea, must not keep ASEAN apart, but it is Allah's given factor to Unity. We must take the sea as our game of survival as our forefather hand passed. We must race to the tide, then we spin and fly high. InsyaAllah.

Note:
All insertion photos were sourced from the internet. Thanks to all the contributors.

Kuching, Sarawak
7 Feb., 2014